Process for the treatment of timber for the destruction of the borer, larve, beetles, or other pest



June 5, 1928. 1,672,326

RUCTION OF THE BoRER, BEETLES, OR OTHER PEST Filed Jan. 30, 1925 KOBIOLKE A. M. PROCESS FOR THE TREATMENT OF TIMBER FOR THE DEsT LARVE,

Patented June 5, 1928.

UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

ADOLF MARTIN KOBIOLKE, OE GILDEROY, VICTORIA, AUSTRALLQN PROCESS FOR THE TREATMENT OF TIMBER FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF THE BOBER, LARVJE, IBEETLES OR OTHER PEST.

Application filed January 30, 1925, Serial No.- 5,819, and in Australia February 14, 1924.

This. invention relates to an improved process and apparatus for the treatment of timber for the destruction of the borer, larvae, beetles or other insect pest and has been devised in order to provide a cheap, simple and effective process and apparatus for accomplishing this object.

This invention is characterized in that the timber is placed in a drying or other kiln and is connected on the one side with vacuum apparatus and on the other side by suitable pipe connections with a container or retort containing a destructive gas or liquid arranged at either higher pressure, a control cock being disposed between the two containers.

Further essential features embodied in the invention consist in themeans employed for circulating or agitating the rarefied atmosphere or destroying fumes in the kiln and also in the cooling sections or portions of the kiln which removes condensed moisture from the kiln.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood it will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the plant, the kiln being shown in vertical central section.

According to this invention a container or kiln 1 isprovided for the reception of wood and is suitably sealed being preferably sufliciently large to receive trucks 2 running on rails '3 which support the tim- -ber 4 to betreated. A pipe connection 5 leads from this kiln 1 to a second container or retort not shown within 'whlch a destructible gas or liquid is retained or manufactured suitable for poisoning ordestroying wood insects or pests.

A control cock 7 is arranged in the pipe 5 between the kiln 1 and container and the destructible gas or liquid is maintained at atmospheric or higher pressure and may if desired be submitted to any suitable temperature if such is necessary according to the as or liquid employed. Preferably tobacco unres are employed but any suitable destructive fume is used.

A vacuum pump or producer is connected by pipes 9, 10 and are fitted with control valves 11, 12. These pipes 9, 10 lead from respective sides 13, 14 of the kiln 1 which form cooling spaces being partly separated from the timber spacie'in. the kiln 1 by walls atmospheric or 15, 16 of non-conducting material which isolate the cooler zones 13, 14 from the drying chamber 17.

In the cooler zones 13, 14 is disposed a channel 18 supporting a plate 19 on which the moisture in the kiln 1 condenses and the condensation is run off by the pipes 20 toin the kiln on each side thereof and at the top are branch pipes 22 leading to a fan 23 In order to circulate the fumes given off.

which circulates the fumes or rarefied air through the pipe 24 to the bottom 25 of the kiln 1, the fans 23 being driven in any suit able manner but preferably from a motor 26 as illustrated.

Heat is imparted to the kiln 1 preferably by steam coils 26 fed from Y an adjacent boiler.

In the process and operation the valves are closed, the heat is applied and the vacuum exhauststhe moisture through the cooler zones 13, 14 and as soon as the drying is nearly completed the vacuum is cut out and the valves opened and the fans 23 operated to circulate the poisonous fumes from the retort or container through the pipe 5 to the kiln 1 and fills the kiln up with fumes equal to atmospheric pressure or the fumes may be forced in at any suitable pressure.

This continues until the timber is suflicientlytreated to destroy. the pests therein.

In a modification the process may be a'pplicable to apparatus for drying timber under vacuum in which case in lieu of an ordinary container-for the wood a vacuum drying kiln is disposed so that the destroying liquid or gas is drawn through the timber during the vacuum drying process.

I desire it to be understood that various improvements and modifications may be embodied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I clann as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 2- Process of destroying borer, and other pests in timber consisting in first subjecting the timber to vacuum in a kiln,

larvae, beetles applying heat to the kiln, creating the higher )ressure and circulating the rarefied draught and drying by means of a vacuum atmosp ere or destroying fumes through theg pump through cooler zones on each side of kiln by means of fans disposed on both sidesthe kiln and partially isolated from the of the kiln substantially as described.

drying portion of the kiln by condenser Signed at Melbourne, Victoria, Australia,

-cutting out the vacuum and feeding poison- 'ous fumes to the kiln at atmospheric or a ADOLF MARTIN KOBIOLKE.

plates, and when the timber is nearly dry this 24th day of December 1924; 

